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During the final stages of a planetary invasion, they scour the entirety of a planet ingesting all biological material on the planet and leaving only an empty and desolate wasteland. Eventually, the Rippers will become bloated full of biomass, unfit for combat. At this point, they simply crawl into [[Reclamation Pool|reclamation pool]]s where they and the bio-mass they've fed upon are broken down and absorbed by the [[Hive Fleet]].<sup>1</sup> However, in some cases they might be evolved to perform higher functions depending on the genetic material they have absorbed.<sup>3</sup>
In certain instances, hive ships have been driven away from a world, leaving Tyranid ground forces isolated. Rippers appear to respond to such circumstances by burrowing below ground and metamorphosing into higher life forms. This has led many among the Magos Biologis to believe that Rippers are an immature form of the prime Tyrancii genus. This would mean they are theoretically capable of gestating into any kind of Tyranid creature with the right impetus from the Hive Mind, from Hive Tyrants to Hormagaunts. The wonder that Tyranids routinely produce and sacrifice their young so prodigiously serves only to reinforce how inhuman they truly are<sup>3</sup>.
==Ordo Xenos Classification==
